Assistant Professor
School of Public Health, Epidemiology
Biography
BIRCWH Scholar: 2022
Andrea López-Cepero is a population health researcher focusing on prevention of cardiometabolic conditions among Latinxs, particularly obesity and type 2 diabetes. She uses a biopsychosocial approach to understand how stress influences health through behavioral and physiological adaptations, with the ultimate goal of identifying novel interventions targets to improve Latinx health. Her current research documents stress-related eating behaviors (i.e., emotional and uncontrolled eating) in US Latinx adults and in Puerto Rico, and evaluates their association with stressors and cardiometabolic markers. Additionally, her research explores novel resilience factors and how these may buffer the effect of stress on eating behaviors and health. With the COVID-19 pandemic, Andrea is leading studies in Puerto Rico that aim to document how the pandemic has influenced glucose metabolism, emotional eating, and access to foods and healthcare among individuals with type 2 diabetes, as well as to understand beliefs, barriers, and facilitators towards COVID-19 vaccination and testing among adults in the Island. Dr. López-Cepero is a strong advocate for minority health and health equity, and for this she has been recognized as one of the El Mundo Boston Latino 30 under 30 and a Health Disparities Research Institute Scholar.
Andrea’s BIRCWH research project is titled "Shift-and-persist and cardiometabolic markers among women in Puerto Rico: a mindfulness-based cognitive therapy pilot study." She is mentored by Dr. Shakira Suglia.
Click here to see a complete list of Dr. Lopez-Cepero’s published work in MyBibliography.